Smooth Player Accomplishes Some Firsts in Hollywood Oaks

There were a couple of surprising aspects to the $150,000 Hollywood Oaks on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

For the first time since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Excellent Meeting was beaten by a member of her own sex.

Smooth Player, the longest shot in the field at nearly 14-1, was the 3-year-old filly who accomplished the feat, and in the process earned her first graded stakes win for owner-breeders Marty and Pam Wygod and John Spohler, and trainer Dan Hendricks.

Smooth Player, a California-bred daughter of Bertrando ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, set or pressed the pace, drew clear in the stretch, then withstood 2-5 choice Excellent Meeting to win by half a length in 1:48 for the 1 1/8 miles.

It was the fifth victory in eight starts for Smooth Player, who has earned $273,000 for her connections.

Although Excellent Meeting, trying for her fifth graded stakes victory of the year, did lack room along the inside on the far turn, she had more than an eighth of a mile to make up ground on the winner, but couldn’t. Clearly, she’s not the runner she was earlier this year for trainer Bob Baffert and owners John and Betty Mabee.

“We got [outside] with a quarter-mile to go, but we were second best today,” said Kent Desormeaux, Excellent Meeting’s rider. “I was thinking, ‘When I get out, they’ll be mine for the taking.’ And she did take off, but, unfortunately, the other one refused to let her by.”

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Tuzla, the 7-10 choice, remained unbeaten in five starts over the Hollywood Park turf course with a victory over 3-2 second choice Isle De France and three others in the $70,400 Royal Heroine Stakes.

Tuzla, owned by television producer David Milch and trained by Julio Canani, had something in reserve at the wire while winning by less than a length. She completed the mile in 1:34 1/5.

“She’s one of the best female milers in the country and gives you everything she’s got every time she runs,” said Canani, who won for the 16th time at the meet from only 38 starters. “The Breeders’ Cup Mile is her goal this year.”

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Hollywood Park is running four stakes races today, in the second-to-last day of its spring-summer meet, but only a total of 25 horses are entered in those events.

The richest race of the afternoon, the $500,000 Swaps Stakes, has the smallest lineup with 4-5 favorite General Challenge heading a field of four.

General Challenge, who has won five of seven starts--including last month’s Affirmed Handicap--for the Mabees and Baffert, will be opposed by Desert Hero, Cat Thief and Walk That Walk. Desert Hero finished second to General Challenge by two lengths in the Affirmed Handicap and Cat Thief hasn’t won since last Oct. 18 at Keeneland.

Dixie Union, who was a fifth of a second off the track record for five furlongs in his debut victory on June 13, is the 9-5 favorite against six other 2-year-olds in the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship. His main rival is Exchange Rate, the 2-1 second choice who won his lone start impressively for owner Satish Sanan’s Padua Stables and trainer Wayne Lukas.

River Bay, who has won three of four starts over the Hollywood Park turf course, is the 5-2 choice in the $250,000 Sunset Handicap.

River Bay, trained by Bobby Frankel for owner Ecuire Chalhoub, won the Charlie Whittingham Handicap earlier in the meet.

Men’s Exclusive, who hasn’t won since 1997, is the 9-5 choice in the $100,000 Answer Do, a race restricted to California breds.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Richard Migliore suffered a broken right arm in a spill Saturday at Belmont Park. Migliore, went down hard when the J Carson, a 3-year-old gelding, suffered a broken cannon bone in his left front leg. Apprentice jockey Ariel Smith, riding Native Guide, was unable to avoid the fallen horse and also was unseated, but was uninjured. . . . Later in the program at Belmont, Soaring Softly edged Tampico in the $250,000 New York Handicap for her fifth consecutive victory. Soaring Swiftly, the 6-5 choice ridden by Mike Smith, covered the 1 1/4 miles on turf in 2:02 1/5. . . . Yes It’s True earned his 10th career stakes victory for trainer Wayne Lukas and owner Satish Sanan by defeating Good And Tough by less than a length in the $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel. Yes It’s True, the 7-10 choice ridden by Jerry Bailey, ran the six furlongs in 1:08 3/5. . . . John Campbell won his fifth Meadowlands Pace at East Rutherford, N.J., guiding The Panderosa to a stakes-record victory in the $1-million race. The Panderosa paced the mile in 1:49 3/5, taking a fifth of a second off the stakes record set by Precious Bunny in 1991.